Runaways
by cocoaandcinnamon
Summary: In a world where magic is feared, Princess Emma has been a prisoner in her own kingdom for seventeen years but that all changes when a life changing deal is made. Regina Mills is the daughter of the village's drunkard and is sick of being a pawn in her mother's game of life. When the two meet as runaways the bond over a common goal. Freedom. Swan Queen.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer : I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of the characters.**

 **A/N: This is a story that has been creating itself in my head for a while now that couldn't seem to make itself into words but finally I managed. This is only a short introduction, the chapters following should be longer.**

 **Now sit back and enjoy the tale of the runaways.**

 **runaway**

 _ **ˈ/rʌnəweɪ/**_

 _ **noun**_

 _ **a person who has run away, especially from their family or an institution.**_

This a the story of a princess and a peasant. A story of an unlikely relationship between two completely different companions joined by a common goal. A story of fear, anger, happiness and love.

This is the story of two runaways who just wanted to be wanted.

"Emma?" A male voice echoed around the clammy little dungeon, wavering slightly with just an inkling of fear. Whenever someone addressed the princess they spoke in fear, some didn't even dare speak at all. It was a rare occurrence that the princess actually responded to whichever guard was talking to her and the day in question was one of those rare days. She knew she had no choice but to stand up from her makeshift bed - a pile of rags and a barely used pillow that was almost certainly infested with some sort of insects - for this was the day she would see her parents again. It was her birthday.

The blonde stood cautiously, haven only just woken up from her slumber. "Good morning." Although living in what could certainly be counted as a version of hell, she sounded rather joyful. She made her way over to the bars of her cell and leaned against the metal so the cold iron tickled her cheek. "I do believe it's that time of the year?" She grinned and pointed to the lock. "Or am I going to have to pry these bars open with my bare hands?"

The man whom the voice belonged to - a short timid looking guard - stepped forward as if to open the cell but he hesitated. "I need to put these on you." He spoke with all he courage he could muster which was indeed very little.

"Wouldn't you just love that." Emma smirked and wiggled her eyebrows menacingly.

He lifted up a pair of shackles and placed them around her wrists through the bars. Unlocking the door, he stepped back, waiting for the princess to exit her the two made their way up the spiral staircase that lead to the throne room, an all too familiar path for Emma. Although she had only climbed it a total or 16 times prior she had been sure to memorize every detail of the world that wasn't her prison cell. As the mousy little guard pushed open the massive oak doors that stood before them the beauty of the throne room came into view.

It was just as perfect as Emma remembered. Portraits of her ancestors lined the walls in golden decorative frames, each of them wearing the same sombre expression as the last but each also stood with a sense of purpose and meaning. True royals. A red carpet was rolled out leading up to the two gilded thrones where the king and queen now sat apparently deep in conversation. Their voices were hushed and their faces looked weary.

Emma coughed loudly, catching the both of the rulers' attentions. Snow White turned around to face her daughter and the worry on her face only become more evident. She always wore the same pained expression when her daughter came to visit because she knew what she was doing was wrong even if her intentions were good.

"Mother. Father." Emma raised an eyebrow as the guard was dismissed.

King David sat up a little straighter at the mention of the title he was certain he had not lived up to.

"Emma." Snow said with a smile that looked more like a grimace. "It's so good to see you."

Emma snorted and looked around the room at the walls. "Love what you've done with the place. Is that a new portrait? Damn, it really catches your bitchiness." She turned back to her parents and smiled.

"Emma." David warned, glancing at his wife.

"It's fine David." Snow sighed and returned her attention to her daughter. "We would like to wish you a happy birthday."

"Wouldn't you just." Emma muttered under her breath, a false smiled gracing her face. It had been years since she had managed to forge a smile from anything other than sarcasm and bitterness.

"Emma, we have decided to offer you a chance." Snow finally said, deciding to cut out whatever speech she had prepared this year.

The princess was caught slightly off guard and that surprise was clearly evident on her face because the dark haired woman on the throne offered a warm smile.

"We've found a way to get rid of your magic!"

Emma's surprise was quick to change to anger. She knew the reason her parents had locked her up her entire life quite well but she never thought they would be trying to get rid of it this entire time and quite frankly she would much rather be forgotten than have the one thing that had kept her sane all these years taken away! Her magic had been her only source of entertainment on those boring days in the damp hole in the ground she called home. It had acted as a friend to her when she was feeling low. True, she wasn't very good with it but dangling a rat by the tail or having her food fly to her on days when she wasn't quite up to making the six foot journey across her cell was certainly a boredom buster. But above all it was a part of her. A part she wasn't willing to give up so easily. "Excuse me?" was all the blonde could muster.

"Aren't you happy? We can be a real family." Snow's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She thought her daughter would be happy at the fact they could be together again.

"No, your majesty, we can't." Emma spat spitefully, her words like venom. "We're never going to be a family! You locked me up in a godforsaken dungeon for seventeen years and now you expect me to give up my magic - my only sense of freedom! - just so we can pretend none of this ever happened." The princess was fuming and if it wasn't for the shackles holding her wrists hostage she would no doubt be emphasizing her point with hand gestures. "My whole life I've blamed myself but you know what, it's nothing to do with me. It's all you. You're a coward Snow White. You blame everyone else for your problems when really you're just afraid of your own imperfections. Well I'm done playing happy families because you two will never be my family. Ever." Emma finished with a glare mostly aimed at Snow.

David sat in his throne looked utterly shocked but his eyes showed a slight sign of amusement. He loved his wife but he definitely didn't agree with some of her actions. Placing their only child in a dungeon was certainly one of them. Alas it seemed he was overruled as the guards instantly sided with their precious Snow whom most of them had known since she was a child.

"Emma." Snow breathed out quietly in shock. There was an obvious tension in the room which demanded not to be broken.

Suddenly a voice sounded from behind Emma. "Did I...interrupt something?" A grotesque little man with scaly skin resembling that of a lizard walked forward with a toothy grin.

"And who are you?" David asked, eyeing the man carefully, his hand moving instantly to the sword attached to his belt.

The lizard man bowed down in what looked to be a practiced manner and offered his name, rolling the R, "Rumpelstiltskin at a your service."

"You're Rumpelstiltskin." Snow muttered, staring at the narrow eyed man before her.

"Indeed I am and it seems that you need my help with uh..." He motioned towards Emma who looked just as dumbfounded as her parents, "This?"

"Yes. My daughter, she has magic. Dangerous magic."

"And you know this from experience?" Rumpelstiltskin raised a non existent eyebrow.

"Well...no but she has magic and-"

"So you're saying you summoned me here on the presumption that you have the possibility of a dark hearted child?"

"Yes but-"

"Then I think we have a deal." The lizard man's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion.

Snow looked confused, her mind trying to process the man's words so David spoke for her, "A deal? What do you mean a deal?"

"You see, all magic comes with a price, dearie, and it just so happens that your daughter is exactly what I need. You said you wanted your _kingdom_ to be free from your daughter's magic? Well I can make that happen." A stunned silence filled the room bar the squeaking of the Dark One's shoe's as she turned to look from the king and queen to the princess. "I think we're done here." With a flick of his hand, he and Emma were engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke and when it disappeared both of them were gone.

David slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne and stood up in one swift motion. "The fool tricked us!" He yelled angrily and turned to his wife who sat motionless, staring at the spot where her daughter had stood just moments ago.

"This is all my fault." Snow whispered, her face crumpling. Years worth of self blame finally coming through. "If I had just left her alone. If I hadn't been so afraid I-"

"Snow, we did what we did because we thought it was the right thing. It's okay."

"David. She hates us." The dark haired queen turned to her husband, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "She hates us for what we did to her. We have to do something."

The king walked over to his wife and gently wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Snow..." He said gently, trying to form the right string of words.

"We have to find her and bring her home. We have to show her that we love her for who she is. Magic and all. It's a part of her David. We have to accept that." Snow muttered, looking up at her husband.

David nodded and made his way across the throne room to the large oak doors. "We need our finest! The Dark One has taken my daughter and we're going to get her back!" David shouted, motioning to the guards he passed in the hallway on his way to the armoury. "No matter what it takes!"


	2. Chapter One : Death and Near Death

**A/N : Apologies for the late updated, I should be able to update more frequently soon. This is extremely short as I really just needed a filler to have them meet. Enjoy.**

Sitting dreamily upon her favorite oak tree, Regina Mills stared out at the kingdom beyond. Whenever the Miller's daughter needed time to think and escape from her exhausting mother, she came to the tree. When she looked out she could see the King and Queen's castle, shining beautiful as ever. She liked to imagine she lived there, roaming the halls and sliding down banisters.

Having parents who loved her and actually cared about her future. Instead it seemed she was stuck with an alcoholic mother and an ill father.

Regina lay her head on the trunk of the tree and let out a sigh, her eyes wandering over the horizon. The greens of the forest and the blues of the sky meshed just perfectly on days like this. It was calming. As the Miller's daughter swung her legs absent mindedly, a thundering of hooves disturbed her daydream. A familiar white stallion carrying a man in a hooded cloak sped by towards the farm. A knowing grin spread across the brunette's face as she hurriedly climbed down from the majestic oak. She mounted her own chestnut coloured horse and set off, her smile not once faltering as she headed for the stables. The wind stung her face but she didn't care one bit for the prize at the end of the line was too much.

As she climbed down from the horse her father had given her before he got sick, Regina felt a million questions replace what had once been a pit of anxiety. "Daniel!" She called excitedly to the hooded figure who was currently guiding his own horse back into it's rightful place.

Regina rushed towards the man but stopped quickly when the figure turned to face her for the face she saw was not Daniel.

A dark skinned man with deep brown eyes and sullen features stared back at her almost as shocked as she. "Who are you?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he took one heavy footed step towards Regina, his hands clasped firmly around what was clearly a sword.

"I-I'm, where's Daniel?" The teenager swallowed and took a retreating step backwards, the dread returning. "Where is he?"

"He did not mention a sister."

"I'm not his sister."

"Ah." A look of understanding flashed in the man's eyes as he pulled down his hood to reveal a head of thick black hair. "I'm afraid he shan't be returning here or anywhere for that matter."

"He's dead?" The familiar feeling of anxiety returned along with the heavy weight of dread.

The man nodded solemnly and began to speak but his words never reached Regina's ears. She was already mounting her horse and bolting off into the woods before anything could be said. So many regrets and so many things she could never regret filled her mind. She never told him all she wanted and she never would be able to, all the stolen kisses and secret meetings were all for naught. All the times she had forced herself not to say I love you for fear of going to fast were now meaningless memories of something that never was. Regina jumped off of her horse when she reached her house and ran inside, tears blinding her. On the ride home she had made a decision, something she had been thinking about for a very long time. She now had a reason to go through with it. She truly had nothing to stay for.

"Regina?" Came her mother's shrill cries, "Is that you?"

Regina promptly ignored the words and grabbed an empty sack that was supposed to be filled with potatoes. She shoved in the bare essentials before running out of the house again. Once more she was on her horse and away in under a minute. The last thing she saw was Cora, her mother was standing at the door yelling a mixture of curse words and demands that would never be met.

She had been travelling for days with absolutely no purpose but to get away. The escape from the Dark One had been surprisingly easy and she couldn't help but be suspicious. After all the rumors she had heard from the guards she wasn't quite sure what to believe. After living with Rumplestiltskin for four months, Emma finally gathered up enough courage to flee the wretched little barn he had been keeping her in. Why should she slave away and be trained up like some fool whilst he sat at his spinning wheel spouting a bunch of nonsense. What little she had acquired over the months now had a home in a satchel she had managed to grab.

It held a few spell books she had never read and a various types of cheese and bread for that was all she needed. As the princess rested against a tree she closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself wonder what her parents were doing. Most likely still worrying and hoping she would return to them but she wouldn't. Not ever.

The blonde didn't stay still for long. She stood up after a few minutes and continued, ignoring the tiredness and burning thighs. As she wandered up a dirt road she rubbed her eyes and turned around to see a horse heading straight for her. With a desperate yell she jumped out of the way just in time, landing in a muddy patch of grass. "What the hell!?"

The horse has stopped and it's owner dismounted looking rather flustered. "I'm sorry! Are you okay? Crap, I'm really sorry." A young woman stepped towards Emma, a worried look evident on her face.

"It's fine." Emma muttered standing up and dusting off her clothes as she looked up at the young woman.

"Did I hit you?" The brunette asked worriedly, fidgeting with her hands habitually.

"No." The blonde muttered. "I'm okay." She was trying to get away as soon as possible.

"You look familiar.." The horse rider said, studying the princess' face carefully, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Have a nice day." Emma said, walking in the same direction she had come from.

"You look lost." The brunette called. "I could give you a ride."

Emma turned around, cheeks pink in a mix of embarrassment and anger. "I'm not lost."

The brunette raised an eyebrow before walking towards the blonde with a stretched out hand. "Regina Mills. I could take you where you want to go."

The blonde didn't look convinced but shook hands with the stranger anyway. "Emma." She glanced sideways for inspiration. She needed a name, Nolan was too obvious. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a flash out white feathers. "Swan. Emma Swan."

"Pleasure to meet you Miss Swan."

 **A/N2 :** **Is this too fast? Should I have better pacing? Reviews are appreciated. They really help.**


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